Health Tip: Why You Should Drink Water

(HealthDay News) -- "Drink more water." You hear this mantra everywhere, and with good reason.

More than two-thirds of your body weight is water, says the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM). Water lubricates the body, helps create saliva and joint fluid, helps keep your body at a healthy temperature, and helps prevent constipation.

The body obtains water as a byproduct of metabolism, and from what we eat and drink.

Drinking plain old water is the best option, of course. While sources such as juice, milk and soup can provide some water, caffeinated beverages and alcohol are diuretics that make the body excrete fluids and are not the best choices, the agency advises.

You should drink the equivalent of six to eight 8-ounce servings of water each day, suggests the NLM. Not drinking enough water can cause dehydration, which if severe enough, can be life-threatening.